5 STRICKEN WITH DIRE DISEASE

October 12, 2003 -- Five Staten Island residents have been stricken a serious illness believed to be encephalitis, City Department of Health officials
revealed yesterday.
Four of the five patients - who range in age from 22 to 54 - are in critical condition at Staten Island University Hospital.

Although the Health Department hasn't yet identified what caused the five people to fall ill between late September and early October - or whether
the cases are related - preliminary tests for the West Nile virus, a potential cause of the disease, have been negative. Also, "the illnesses are not
consistent with SARS," Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden noted.

I am sure they are already looking at food sources. Encephalitis like symptoms could result from livestock infected with mad cow~like illness. It
does not say whether the encephalitis is a spongyform(sp?) type.

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